Home-built

[P.R.Moffatt]

When you see the sketch I have made you'll all s******.
Anyway, I want a recumbant so I can go as fast as possible when traveling, the area is fairly flat here (+-12m for 50 miles), so suspension is not much of an issue. After having a heart attack at the prices of recumbants I sat with a clinical eye looking at an old upright I have in the garage, I just wanted to know what problems this design will encounter, and any flaws you can see.

http://img30.photobucket.com/albums/v89/Rippthrough/Sketch_5.jpg

Told you you'd s****** :)

[P.R.Moffatt]

Anyone?

[lowracer1]

You really need to go to bentrider online however. This site doesn't see much recumbent activity. The WISIL site is also a must for any homebuilding projects.

[bentbaggerlen]

Ah, a prone fully faired recumbent? A bit of info on them from Goggle

http://www.bike-on.com/newhandcycles/FreedomConceptsJPR200.htm

http://www.quivite.demon.nl/html-bestanden/geschiedenis-gb.html

http://www.bicycleman.com/History.html

http://www.speedbikebgl.de/pix/ruk10s.jpg

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=419301#post419301

http://www.geocities.com/rcgilmore3/prone.htm


Unless your building a rear stear bike, and your arms are above your head, then Im going to s******...

[bentbaggerlen]

So what are you waiting for? get building! And post some pics of it!

[P.R.Moffatt]

Thanks guys, I'm just sorting out some stuff in the garage, there doesn't appear to be anywhere that deal/builds these around here, so I'm relying on you guys for guidance :)
Will post piccys when I start.

[meltable]

Good luck!
Mike

[P.R.Moffatt]

And no giving me guidance such as "Your frame should be bannana shaped" so that I go round in circles :D

[P.R.Moffatt]

Anyone know of some decent wheels for around £30-£40 ($60-$80), as these look a little worse for wear after sitting in the garage (18" chromed steel, a bit rusty)

[P.R.Moffatt]

Right, one dremel with a wire brush attachment and an afternoon waxing have sorted the wheels out, im thinging of stretching the design furthur though, and having my head 3-5" behind the front wheel, lying flat about 3" up from the shell, the wheels will be encased seperately to improve aero and stop me grinding my face :). Problem is - forward visability; is a 1.25" thick wheel going to impair it that much, or should I revert back to the head over front wheel approach? (I would host pic, but the comp. with it on has just gone pop so it needs rmaing)

[bentrox!]

That reverse front fork could be unstable at higher speeds. Anyone who has scooted around the supermarket on a shopping cart would be familiar with "high speed wobbles". There is a tadpole trike called the Sidewinder that shares this reverse-fork configuration in its rear steering wheel.

[cerewa]

"So what are you waiting for? get building! And post some pics of it!"

having read a bunch about recumbent bike design, i would get planning instead of getting building, if this was my design.

if you mean it as a rear-steer design (rider on his back, feet forward) then your design will be no good. balancing and steering won't work out.

if it's meant to be a head-first recumbent... for one thing, be sure you don't have your knees banging the ground! for two... i've read that the ((rider head-first, belly-down)) design is something that's been tried, though not very many times. thus far, nobody's made a head-first recumbent bike that's very good. you should only try it if you're willing to accept that there's almost no chance of it working well on the first try, and a fair chance that your head-first bike will never be as good as a feet-first recumbent.

the fastest head-first bike happens to be one where the rider faces backwards and is able to see forward only with a mirror. i don't think anybody would even consider using it outside the context of a 1-bike-at-a-time drag race (http://www.recumbents.com/whpsc2003.htm)

here's a site that will let you know what kind of rear-wheel-steer bikes are known to be miserable failures and which kinds work. (http://wannee.nl/hpv/abt/e-index.htm)

[P.R.Moffatt]

Front wheel steer - if im sat behind the front wheel I'm gonna have the front fork normally orientated - so I don't have to extend the frame too much.
Not really bothered if its worse, its different and its cheap :)
Like I said, I'll put up another MsPaint masterpiece when I fix the other Comp. Thanks for your help guys, you're really useful :D
Like a kind of intellectual oxy-acetalene.

[jimchris7674]

Not bad, not bad alt all. I'm in the process of building one too. I must have a "thousand" drawing doodles.
I have a bad back (Spinal Stenosis) complete with lag screws and bars.

Got an idea and I just get the missing peices wherever I can find them, garage sales, hardware stores, Home Depot, and a little known helper. Alumiloy... It's expensive, but worth ever penny.

Good luck

If you need my address reply thru bike forum.

Jim

[P.R.Moffatt]

Wish I had any "pennies" whatsoever, anyhow, will be free to start work in a few months (exams, then freedom before uni), will get some photo's of the piece of junk I start with, and the bigger pile of junk I end up with.